PEORIA — Management of the Marriott Pere Marquette and Courtyard by Marriott in Downtown Peoria might be changing soon. The reasons and ramifications are unclear.

EM Properties, the developer of the hotels, is seeking City Council approval for the management switch from Marriott International Inc. to First Hospitality Group, a company based in Rosemont. A memorandum City Manager Patrick Urich sent Friday to council members and to Mayor Jim Ardis outlined the request.

On Saturday, the Journal Star received copies of the memo and a letter dated April 30 from EM Properties’ St. Louis-based attorney. According to those documents, the hotels still are to carry the Marriott name.

“Due to its proximity to Peoria. FHG is much more accessible and the

more sensible manager for these hotels,” David Richardson, an attorney for the Husch Blackwell legal firm, stated in his letter to the city.

The council is expected to discuss the issue in executive session following its regular, open meeting May 13, according to Urich’s memo. Executive sessions are closed to the public. When contacted Saturday, Urich said he expected some discussion will take place during the open portion of the meeting.

Any decisions must be made in open session.

Council approval for the switch is necessary as part of a deal in 2011 that led to the renovation of the Pere Marquette. That hotel opened last June. The adjacent Courtyard is under construction and scheduled to open later this year.

Courtyard construction is to continue, according to Richardson’s letter.

Asked what would happen if the council rejected the request, Urich stated in a text message: “Taken to a logical extreme, (EM Properties) would have to stay with his operator or find someone else. That is one of the reasons we want to talk with the other lenders to get on the same page. We don’t completely control this.”

A $29 million city bond and a $7 million loan were part of a project that cost about $100 million.

Urich said he didn’t believe such a management switch was unusual. Most Marriott properties are operated under franchise agreements, not directly by the hotel company.

But Urich also said he’s not sure why Gary Matthews, president of East Peoria-based EM Properties, wants the change.

“That’s what we have to dig into,” Urich said. “I think that there’s probably some concern on Gary’s part in terms of how the hotel is being managed.

“We have to get some answers back from Gary.”

Matthews was unable to be contacted Saturday.

The city and EM Properties have a confidentiality agreement regarding details about the Pere Marquette’s financial performance, Urich said.

A meeting of the project’s financial lenders is to be convened, and they also must approve the change, Urich stated in the memo. The city also will need to make sure FHG is qualified to manage the hotels.

FHG also manages the Marriott SpringHill Suites located at 2701 W. Lake Ave. in Peoria, according to the company’s website. That hotel is among about 50 the company manages in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

Nick Vlahos can be reached at 686-3285 or nvlahos@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @VlahosNick.